WASHINGTON – The former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says all of the country’s 104 reactors have a safety problem.

Gregory Jaczko says the reactors should be phased out and replaced by different technology, The New York Times reports.

Jaczko tells the Times he didn’t think the safety issues were urgent while he was leading the NRC, but that Japan’s Fukushima nuclear problems brought them to the forefront.

In a statement, the NRC tells WTOP:

“The NRC believes all existing U.S. nuclear plants are operating safely and can remain safe with the aggressive oversight provided by the NRC inspectors who are on- site at every plant providing independent oversight of plant operations and conditions every day.”